The present invention relates to automobile suspensions and pertains particularly to a suspension system having geometry and linkages for maintaining constant camber.
Vehicle suspension systems include various combinations of springs (coil, leaf, air or torsion bar), axle housing, torque arms, A-frames, anti-roll bars, stabilizers, shock absorbers., and so forth. These components have been assembled in various combinations in an effort to produce the desired ride, handling and performance characteristics of the vehicle.
In a typical suspension system, the vehicle chassis or body is supported on the wheels in a manner to enable the wheels to rise and fall independent of the chassis to accommodate uneven road conditions. The changes in the spacing between wheels, axles and the body/chassis due to turning, uneven road and other similar conditions are accommodated by arms, linkages, struts, and are cushioned by springs. System oscillations are limited by dampers which are usually called shock absorbers.
The ride and performance or handling of the vehicle is affected by many factors related to the suspension system. The suspension system must accommodate, yet resist tendency of the vehicle to pitch when traversing bumps and dips, and to resist roll when turning. A given suspension system will perform best when properly aligned and tuned.
There is a continuing effort to improve the economy, performance, road handling, and reliability of automobiles. A good suspension system will provide improved performance and road handling, and in most instances will result in improved economy and reliability. One of the factors that affects road handling and performance is tire grip or adhesion of the tires to the road surface. An important factor that affects tire grip is camber, which is the angle the tire makes with the vertical. Positive angle tilts the top of the wheel out, and negative camber tilts the top of the wheel in.
Most modern tires have a wide flat tread surface. It is important to keep the wide surface flat on the road surface for optimum traction and performance and to reduce wear. Camber angle is critical to tire traction and to vehicle handling and performance. The camber angle is controlled by the suspension linkage and its geometry. It is desirable to keep the camber angle zero or near zero at all times to optimize road handling and performance.
Conventional .suspension systems tend to be a compromise between cost and performance. They tend to sacrifice performance and road handling for economy.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved suspension system capable of maintaining optimum camber.